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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mousewheel scroll”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “mousewheel scroll”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Smart Brands for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FancyBox for WordPress places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 92 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 MouseWheel Smooth Scroll 90K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #1 2 Logo Carousel – Responsive Logo Slider, Logo Showcase, and Clients Logo Gallery 20K+ · 4.7★ (162) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 WP Image Zoom 10K+ · 4.3★ (119) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Scrollsequence – Cinematic Scroll Image Animation Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Real Testimonials – Testimonial Slider, Collect Customer Reviews and Video Testimonials 40K+ · 4.7★ (226) wp.org #9 ↓3 3 too low 7 Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 Product Gallery Slider, Additional Variation Images, Product Video, Product Image Zoom and Lightbox for WooCommerce – Reno Product Gallery (formerly WooGallery) 20K+ · 4.9★ (162) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 MP3 Audio Player – Music Player, Podcast Player & Radio by Sonaar 20K+ · 4.8★ (302) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 OoohBoi Steroids for Elementor 40K+ · 4.8★ (118) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 TP WooCommerce Product Gallery 1K+ · 3.8★ (26) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 bBlocks – Essential Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns Collection 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Availability Datepicker – Booking Calendar for Contact Form 7 – Input WP 10K+ · 4.1★ (42) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 iPanorama 360 – Advanced Virtual Tour Builder 4K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Travelers' Map 1K+ · 5.0★ (46) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 WP Club Manager – WordPress Sports Club Plugin 600+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Banner Management For WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (26) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Smart Brands for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 11 too high 20 PlugVista Carousel Builder Block 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 SlideVerse – Slider, Carousel & Image Slider Blocks 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Siddik Layout Widgets for Elementor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too high 23 E Elite Logo Showcase – Logo Grid & Logo Carousel, Logo Slider — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 Cosmic Slider — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 6 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.